


Souls Are Sometimes Fuzzy

by Yevynaea



Category: Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Character Study, No Plot/Plotless, One Shot, Random & Short, a small slightly feelsy fic about jack and his adorable daemon, just a bunch of scenes with daemons added, there is not a lot of plot involved here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-27
Updated: 2013-08-27
Packaged: 2017-12-24 19:24:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/943738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yevynaea/pseuds/Yevynaea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack and Eira have always been together, just the two of them and a world that doesn't see them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Souls Are Sometimes Fuzzy

            When he first wakes up, the moon is full and bright and comforting. It chases away the darkness and leaves him with a sense of almost-peace. But something is missing, as if a piece of him has been torn away. But when he sees the staff, and the teeny ball of white fuzz curled up next to it, he feels a bit better. And then he takes the staff in hand, and lets the ball of fuzz crawl up onto his shoulder, he feels whole.

            The white fuzz is actually a hamster, some little breed with too much energy for her tiny body, though he doesn’t know that yet. They are one, and they both know it, though they remember little else. Then the moon speaks; sends glimmering moonbeams down to whisper in their ears, and they know their names now, at least.

            He is Jack Frost, and she is Eira. She is his daemon.

 

><><><><>< 

 

            The first time someone walks through him they both feel it, even though Eira is a little ways away. The time after that is the same (and every time for many, many decades that haven’t passed yet). It feels like being turned into air, like getting your insides ripped out and leaving you empty, and that first night they curl up together where they’ve perched in a tree. Eira is pressed against Jack’s chest, as cold as he is and looking up at him with wide black eyes.

            “It’s colder than ice.” Eira muses one day, a few years later, and it must be. They’ve never been able to feel the chill of frost, as far back as they can remember, but they can feel this, cold and desolate and leaving them feeling so very alone. For 300 years it leaves them isolated; Jack and Eira alone in a world that cannot see them.

 

><><><><>< 

 

            Jack whirls around at the sound of a semi-familiar voice, relaxing at the sight of Bunnymund. Though maybe he shouldn’t have, he realizes when a yeti is grabbing him by the hood of his sweatshirt and stuffing him into a bag. Eira squeals indignantly from where she’s fallen from his shoulder.

            “Don’t forget the mouse; the drongo probably can’t wander too far away from ‘er.” Bunnymund nods toward the glaring hamster, then Eira is being scooped gently into a giant yeti hand and held carefully in a cage made of fingers and fur as they leap through the portal.

 

><><><><>< 

 

            They can’t help but have noticed over the centuries, that though all humans have them, few other spirits have daemons of their own. Mother Nature is always accompanied by some animal or another, but none are her soul. The Boogeyman and the Sandman have no daemons either. The first time they meet Bunnymund, Eira jokes that the rabbit is his own daemon.

Toothiana has many daemons; each of her fairies is a tiny chip of her soul, so Jack finds it interesting that the little things are so willing to be handled by others when any normal daemons may only be touched by their humans…or spirits as the case may be. North has Valeska, a lynx, but as a wizard North can travel far from her when it is needed. Of course most of these things he doesn’t know until after he’s chosen to be a Guardian.

 

><><><><>< 

 

They get their memories back in a crevice somewhere in Antarctica, with Eira and Baby Tooth both looking at him expectantly while he places one hand on the tooth box.

_He has brown hair and dark eyes, and she has fur to match. They play with the younger children, entertain them and their daemons. They go out to skate, Jack holding Emma’s hand with Eira and Adelphus on their shoulders. The chipmunk scurries to sit atop the girl’s head when they reach the lake, “For a better view,” and the hamster follows suit._

_The ice shatters below his feet, he plunges into the water, and Eira jumps down onto the ice on pure instinct. She feels the freezing water just the same though; can see through the strain of being too far from her human that there are spots dancing in her vision. She curls in on herself and loses consciousness the same time as he does. She stops breathing when he does too._

_Adelphus tries to run to Eira but she’s too far away, and Emma dares not go back out onto the ice lest it will break under her feet and send her plummeting into the lake’s depths as well. Emma runs home with tears in her eyes, Adelphus shifting into a sparrow so to better keep up._

_It’s dark, and it’s cold, and they are scared. But then they see the moon. It seems to chase the darkness away…and then they aren’t scared anymore._

Jack and Eira both gasp and huddle closer to one another as the memory finishes. The winter sprite places Eira and Baby Tooth on either shoulder and wills his staff to mend, his newfound memories still replaying in his mind’s eye.

 

><><><><>< 

 

Jack doesn’t meet Ombric and Katherine until sometime after he is made a Guardian, but when North does take him to visit, Eira squeaks and burrows into her boy’s hoodie pocket at the sight of their daemons. Ombric’s is a long-eared owl and Katherine has a tabby cat that Jack can’t name the species of.

Katherine’s friend Nightlight is a lot like Jack, and though he doesn’t have a daemon of his own he takes an immediate liking to Eira, smuggling extra cookies from dinner for Jack to feed her. They have fun, Eira staying on Jack’s shoulder most of the time to avoid the three carnivorous witches’ daemons prowling about, but they’re both glad when it’s time to go home.

Staying in one place for so long has never been their thing.

 

><><><><>< 

 

            Jamie and his friends are all sprawled about the living room, a few on the couch and a few on the floor, with their un-settled daemons close by occasionally changing shapes. Jack is there too, watching a movie with the rest of them while Eira tugs at his hair during all the suspenseful scenes. Jamie’s daemon is curled up in his lap, having today chosen to take the form of a Yorkshire terrier so to more easily find a comfortable spot on the couch.

            Eira and Jack feel content; like they belong. It’s a feeling they haven’t felt for over 300 years now, one they thought they may never feel, but they’re both glad it’s there.

**Author's Note:**

> So Eira is a winter white hamster because after much debate about what animal Jack would have as a daemon i finally just decided to go with one that matched him in cuteness because nothing else seemed to fit. Her name means snow because i suck at being deep or meaningful with names.
> 
> Valeska (a Slavic name meaning proud leader according to some baby naming websites) is a Eurasian lynx. They are gorgeous but if you are a small animal you will be considered as nothing more than prey and you will most likely be eaten, just fyi.
> 
> Katherine's daemon is still up for debate as I didn't find any cat breeds that fit perfectly. I thought tabby would be a wide enough term that everyone could imagine what they wanted to.
> 
> Ombric's daemon is a long-eared owl, which are a little bit funny looking but still a super-fricking-awesome predator and smart just like Ombric himself.
> 
> Jamie, Sophie, Emma (as most of the fandom chooses to call Jack's sister) and the rest of the kids of Burgess are too young canonically to have settled daemons yet i think.
> 
> Tooth is only half human so would probably not have a daemon, but like it say in the fic she has her mini fairies which are book-canonically part of her.
> 
> And as aliens, Sandy, Bunny, Pitch, Mother Nature, and Nightlight do not have daemons in this fic. (though if you write an HDM crossover and want to give them some pls do i love anything involving daemons and would love to see your ideas for them)


End file.
